I’m not certain if it is their lawyers advising them or they’re listening to other people, but these women are not getting good outside advice.

Three women charged with falsifying a racially motivated hate crime in Albany were given a chance to accept a plea deal if they made a public apology to the students whose reputations could have been destroyed by their story.

They refused, and the district attorney is now convening a grand jury on Friday which could lead to more or elevated charges.

Three University at Albany students accused of lying about a racially motivated bus attack have refused a plea deal that would have demanded an apology.

Ariel Agudio, Alexis Briggs and Asha Burwell appeared before a judge in Albany City Court on Monday where Assistant Albany County District Attorney Dave Rossi told the trio any negotiations would have to begin with an apology. But the young women declined that opportunity and the DA’s office has now served notice that an Albany Grand Jury will be convening to hear the case.

The three face misdemeanor charges after they claimed to have been attacked by a group of young men and women on an early morning CDTA bus ride returning from the Albany bar scene.

Investigators say security video from inside the bus and 911 recordings refuted the young women’s claims.

Times Union reporter J.P. Lawrence said that assistant DA David Rossi said their office was willing to consider making it a ‘non-criminal, non-misdemeanor’ case.

Protesters, including members of the National Congress of Black Women and the Albany chapter of Black Lives Matter, showed signs of support for the women, demanding change in the form of hiring minority faculty and providing sensitivity training for University police.

Burwell and her fellow alleged ‘victims’ gave tearful speeches on campus.

The story gained national traction when Hillary Clinton tweeted a supportive message:

About the AuthorRusty Weiss

Rusty Weiss is a freelance journalist focusing on the conservative movement and its political agenda. He has been writing conservatively charged articles for several years in the upstate New York area, and his writings have appeared in the Daily Caller, American Thinker, FoxNews.com, Big Government, the Times Union, and the Troy Record. He is also Editor of one of the top conservative blogs of 2012, the Mental Recession.

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